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Army denies West Point grad a shot at NFL

Caleb Campbell, a 2008 graduate of U.S. Military Academy at West Point, will not get a chance to play in the National Football League, Army and Detroit Lions officials said Wednesday.

The announcement follows a policy signed July 11 by Army Secretary Pete Geren that changed the Army’s policy regarding officers who are given the opportunity to play in professional sports.

The policy requires officers to serve at least two years on active duty before they are allowed to request an early release from their military service obligation. It also calls for Campbell and three other officers who are engaged in professional sports to report to training and then to a unit.

Campbell, a 23-year-old West Point graduate who was selected April 27 by the Detroit Lions in the seventh round of the NFL draft, has been ordered to complete Officer Basic Course and report to a unit.

Under the old policy, if Campbell made the Lions team he would have been assigned to a recruiting unit in Michigan for a shortened commitment of two years on active duty.

In the past, the Army allowed soldiers to be released from active duty commitments to participate in pro sports and other activities that offer the Army a recruiting or public affairs benefit. Soldiers serving the two years on active duty could be assigned to the recruiting unit closest to the location of their sports team or activity. The soldier would then conduct recruiting activities to support the Army instead of, for example, serving in a line unit in Iraq.

In comparison, Mitch Harris, a Naval Academy midshipman who was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals, was ordered to report to his ship for duty after Navy Secretary Donald Winter ruled June 12 that he must serve a five-year commitment.

Harris, a 22-year-old right-handed pitcher with a 95 mph fastball, reported June 16 for two weeks of school at Naval Station Norfolk, Va., then boarded the amphibious transport dock Ponce, where he was to work as a weapons officer.

Also ordered to Officer Basic Course is Michael Viti, a classmate and teammate of Campbell’s who was drafted by the Buffalo Bills. In addition, 1st Lt. Brad Roberts of West Point’s Class of 2006 will no longer play hockey and report to duty as an armor officer at Fort Hood, Texas.

Second Lts. Milan Dinga and Nick Hill, 2007 West Point graduates who play for minor league baseball teams, will be placed on excess leave until their seasons end in September. They will then be ordered to complete OBC and report to units.

Dinga and Hill are being allowed to finish the season to minimize the litigation risk that may arise from breaching their existing players’ contracts by reporting immediately for active-duty service, Geren wrote in the memo.